In most cases, you should enroll in both Medicare Parts A and B to have full coverage of doctors’ services and other medical care. Retiree coverage generally works differently than coverage for current employees, paying only after Medicare. You have the option to decline Medicare Part B (outpatient coverage, for which you pay a premium), but if you do, your plan may only cover a small portion of your costs. Because retiree plans vary, you should always check with your human resources department or benefits administrator to find out exactly how your retiree coverage works with Medicare.If you later decide to enroll in Medicare, you will pay a penalty on top of your monthly premium. This penalty will increase the longer you wait to enroll in Medicare.

To learn more about the Part B premium penalty, click on the link in the GO TO box.

Note: Some federal retirees chose to decline Part B. Unlike most other retirees, federal retirees keep the same health insurance that they had when they were working.

To learn more about how federal retiree insurance works with Medicare, click on the link in the GO TO box.

To find out more about retiree insurance, click on the link in the GO TO box.